Lindenhurst Stands Ready as Irene Hits

Following a meeting Saturday evening that included Mayor Tom Brennan, trustees and officials from Lindenhurst Village, Lindenhurst Fire Department and SCPD’s First Precinct, the village is ready as Hurricane Irene begins her assault on the South Shore Long Island community.

As of 9 p.m., according to Mayor Tom Brennan, shifts began for the Lindenhurst Fire Department, as the village’s first responders stand ready for the duration of the storm.

Shifts of two, two-man crews from the village’s Department of Public Works will also be on hand for the duration of Irene to clear trees and other debris and to help the LFD get through the streets to residents in need of rescue during the storm.

However, the storm is set to sock Lindenhurst with winds approximately 60 mph for an extended, sustained period of time on Sunday, and during that time, which could be the better part of 12 hours, according to weather reports, rescue will not be heading out on calls.

“Part of the problem is the winds,” said Brennan. “We’re not going to put the fire department’s rescue at risk by sending them out in dangerously high winds. That’s why we wanted residents to evacuate.”

Indeed, the mayor declared a state of emergency, and made the evacuation order for residents of south of Montauk mandatory Saturday morning on the heels of Babylon Town’s mandatory evacuation order for the same area Friday night.

Lindenhurst Fire Department trucks and Suffolk County First Precinct units were out in the affected neighborhoods announcing the evacuation and a reverse 911 call via the county system was scheduled to alert residents Saturday, too.

Residents south of Montauk were urged by village officials to find friends or family to stay with ahead of Irene, and Lindenhurst High School was also activated as the village’s evacuation center and opened at 8 a.m. Saturday morning.

But by evening it was only accommodating a small number of residents from south of Montauk.

“There aren’t many people yet,” the mayor said, but the village was expecting some more as the winds and rain picked up Saturday night. “The center will be open through the night, and more people will probably come tomorrow.”

“The evacuation center will be open as long as necessary,” said Ray Fais, village emergency service coordinator. “When residents come in [through the entrance at the back of the high school], they register at the desk. Then their names and information are sent to the Red Cross.”

In the event that residents cannot go back to their homes for safety reasons following the storm, they can be transferred to larger Red Cross centers.

Currently, there are two in Babylon Town: one at Robert Frost Middle School in Deer Park, and the other is North Babylon High School, where several checked into early Saturday afternoon.

In the meantime and for the duration of the storm, the evacuation center at the LHS is staffed with security and custodial, and has back-up generators and a radio streaming news reports over the loud speakers in the gym.

Mats have also been laid out in the gym for comfort, and water is available. A local Panera Bread donated several bags food, unexpectedly dropping them off at the center Saturday evening, as well.

“That was a very nice thing that Panera did,” Brennan said.

Residents are allowed to bring coolers, as many did. “But no alcohol,” stressed Brennan.

Pets aren’t allowed in the center, just as they’re not allowed in the two aforementioned Red Cross centers. However, there are pet shelters set up in Suffolk County. Residents can call the SCPCA at 631-382-7722.

The mayor also indicated that residents with Hurricane Irene-related damages, like fallen trees, can call 631-957-7520 or 631-957-7521, or e-mail highway@villageoflindenhurst.com.

This information is also posted on the village website: http://villageoflindenhurst.com/index.htm.